Bo Diddley-The Man

My First Rock and Roller

 .I grew up with the advent of Rock and Roll in the 50s.  And the first 33 1/3 album I ever bought was by Bo Diddley.  It all seemed to start with Bo. He was born in Macomb, Mississippi just north of the Louisiana border.  He invented his own name,   his own guitar, his own beat and had a lot to do with inventing rock ‘n roll.

 

 Jerry Lee Lewis, from my hometown of Ferriday, once told me that Bo Diddley was a major factor in his kind music.  It was a combination of Southern Gospel and rhythm and blues all that developed from the postwar black American vernacular culture that would shape our music for years to come.  You can find elements of Bo Diddley in the music of the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, the Grateful Dead and the Doors.  Bo was the guy that just started it all.  He died last week at the age of 79.  Bo’s most famous song was simply called “Bo Diddley.”  You can watch this classic at, Click Here.